A REVIEW OF THE FOSSIL PLANTS IN THE UNITED STATES 

 NATIONAL MUSElBi FROM THE FLORISSANT LAKE 

 BEDS AT FLORISSANT, COLORADO, WITH DESCRIP- 

 TIONS OF NEW SPECIES AND LIST OF TYPE-SPECIMENS. 



By F. H. Knowlton, 



Custodian of Mesozoic Plants, United States National Museum. 



The Florissant lake beds of Colorado have been a perennial andnerer- 

 failing source of supply for finely preserved fossil plants and insects 

 since their discovery nearly fifty years ago ; in fact, it is perhaps safe 

 to say that this locality has supplied a greater number of specimens 

 in these groups than any other single locality in the world. It has 

 been reported that more than 30,000 specimens of insects, repre- 

 senting over 1,000 species, have been obtained here, but no accurate 

 estimate has been, or indeed can be made, of the number of plants 

 collected, though they undoubtedly amount to very many thousands, 

 now scattered thi'ough the museums and collections of the world. 

 Notwithstanding the wealth of plant material, every considerable 

 collection that is made there is almost certain to include new forms 

 or material throwmg additional light on previously described species. 



The present paper was primarily undertaken for the purpose of 

 placing on record studies of a number of collections not previously 

 investigated, or only partially studied, but has been expanded to 

 include practically all of the plant material from Florissant now 

 deposited in the United States National Museum. These collections 

 and their sources are as follows : 



L The Hamhach collection. — This is a collection of about 100 speci- 

 mens, forming a part of an extensive paleontological collection pur- 

 chased in 1907 from Dr. Gustavus Hambach, of St. Louis, Missouri. 

 It includes the types of species of Florissant plants described and 

 figured by Walter C. G. Knchner,^ and also is especially rich in 

 specimens of exceptionally well-preserved flowers and fruits, many of 

 which were unnamed. 



' Kirchner, Walter C. G., Contributions to the fossil flora of Florissant, Colorado, Trans. Acad. Scl. 

 St. Louis, vol. 8, 1898, pp. 161-188, pis. 11-15. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 51— No. 2151. 

 — Proc.N.M.vol.51— 16 16 241 



